UK Reaper drone conducts first strike in Iraq

Britain’s first air strike by a Royal Air Force (RAF) Reaper drone was carried out over the weekend in Iraq, the Ministry of Defense (MoD) has confirmed.

The drone strike occurred as part of an international military
operation in the region against the terror group, Islamic State
(IS, formerly ISIS or ISIL). The aerial strike occurred near the
strategic town of Baiji – home to Iraq’s most significant oil
refinery.

ISIS militants were laying “improvised explosive
devices” in the region, according to the MoD.

Approximately 40 nations worldwide have joined the US-led
international coalition against ISIS. In a brutal and
expansionist effort to establish a self-proclaimed ‘caliphate’,
the militant group has annexed large parts of Syria and northern
Iraq.

Britain’s first airstrikes were launched against militants on
September 30. The
British government also dispatched military officials to help
train Iraqi forces on the ground in northern Iraq, to prevent the
further advance of the terror group.

The Reaper drone is Britain’s only armed
remotely-piloted aircraft, built by privately owned US firm,
General Atomics.

Last month, Defence Secretary Michael Fallon announced Reaper
drones were being re-deployed from Afghanistan. The aircraft
primarily serve an intelligence gathering function in northern
Iraq, but also carry Hellfire missiles and GBU-12 500lb
laser-guided bombs to strike against ISIS targets.

The MoD suggested, at the time, the drones would provide
“additional intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance
support to the Iraqi government and coalition allies,”
defend the states’ collective “national interests,” and
thwart further ISIS attacks in the Middle East.

While the MoD refuses to confirm how many Reaper drones have been
re-deployed from Afghanistan to Iraq, they are thought to have
carried out at least a dozen operations in Iraq thus far.

Islamic State extremists are estimated to earn more than $3
million per day from oil sales, while also gleaning mammoth sums
from human trafficking and extortion.

Recent reports conducted by the United Nations and a plethora of
human rights organizations indicate ISIS have repeatedly used
brutal sexual violence as a tactical means of inciting terror,
displacing communities and entrenching sectarian tensions in
Iraq.

The British parliament voted last month to approve airstrikes
against the Islamic State in Iraq, but is yet to approve
extending the strikes into Syria.

RAF Tornado jets were deployed in tandem with Reaper drones near
the Baiji oil refinery throughout the weekend. Although the town
– located approximately 200km (130 miles) north of Baghdad – was
captured by ISIS in June, the terror group failed to seize the
refinery itself.

Iraqi officials reported on Sunday that Iraqi government forces
had regained control over large portions of Baiji.